Stay Gold, Little Brother
by Crystalteen
Summary: Johnny Cade has two little sisters, twelve-year-old Cassidy and six-almost-seventh-month-old Jocelyn. He's always been there to protect them. Though if only he could've been there to do the same with his baby brother. One-Shot.


**A/N: Hello, everyone! :D :D**

**Man, it sure does feel great to be able to catch a small break from my sophomore year and express my writing some more! I'm in the second nine weeks already! Time sure does fly!**

**I apologize for how long I've been away from here, but sophomore year is absolutely hard work! I'm so far doing great though! My teachers and classes are good, and my grades are so far really great! I plan to keep them that way, too! :)**

**Anyway, don't think I'm dropping any of my stories on here, because I am still working on them! I am NOT quitting my writing, so don't worry! :)**

**This is just a little one-shot that came from the top of my head, so I hope you like it! Please review and tell me how it was! :)**

Regular print- The present

_Italic- Flashbacks_

**Summary: Johnny Cade has two little sisters, Cassidy and Jocelyn. Cassidy is twelve; Jocelyn is six-almost-seven months. Johnny protects them all the time, no matter what the cost of it is. He takes their beatings and keeps them as healthy and happy as any young child should be. But what Cassidy or Jocelyn didn't know was the truth behind Johnny saving them before they were even born. Keeping the alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs away. And if only he was able to be there for his little brother.**

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><p>Johnny Cade hugged himself tightly as he stared out the fogged up and slightly cracked window of his father's busted up Pinto. He could see the bright golden sun going down over the top of the small dull green hill of the cemetery. There were plenty of tombstones glimmering underneath the slowly fading sunlight. Some of the billions of names were too faded to read any longer on the old statues, and most of the dates labeled back so far <em>many<em> years back that the bodies under the ground must've been nothing but dust by now.

Dead brown and black flowers that were being overrun by weeds were surrounding many of the stones. Each of every one of the colorful petals had fallen to the damp grass, where they shriveled up and died like everything in the cemetery of all places did at some point.

The autumn breeze softly whistled through the trees, causing the weak gold, orange, and brown leaves to snap off from their thin branches and scrape across the ground. Each one tumbled after another, smacking into tombstones and burying more dead flowers.

From where Johnny Cade could see, there were about three balloons tied around one of the arms of a stone child that had their hands lightly pressed together. On its back, a pair of small wings were spread, and it was bowed down on one of its little legs. A small statue of an angel, representing the hopeful peace of a poor child who had died long before it was its time. Too young.

"Johnny, what are we doing here?" Johnny's first little sister, twelve-year-old Cassidy, asked from where she was sitting in the backseat. Next to her, Johnny Cade's second and last little sister, six-almost-seven-month-old Jocelyn, was sucking on her knuckles from where she was buckled up in her floral car seat.

"You'll find out in a couple of minutes, Cassidy." Johnny replied. He took in a deep breath and softly blew his long, greasy, jet-black bangs out of his dark face. Then he grabbed the keys and pulled them out, ending the grumbling sound of his father's Pinto's roaring engine.

"Won't Dad be...you know, mad? We're not supposed to take his car anywhere." Cassidy reminded her older brother with this helpless puppy dog look decorating her face. Her dark eyes that never stopped flooding with innocence were now swarming with worry, and she had her bottom lip puckered out so anybody could sense the message _I'm afraid, please help me _as soon as they laid their eyes on her.

Johnny closed his eyes and winced just a little bit at the mention of their alcoholic father. After witnessing the murder of his mother when he was just a little seven-year-old boy, Mr. Richard Cade allowed his life to spiral out of control. Following in the footsteps of _his _own abusive old man, who was actually the one who committed drunk and aggravated murder on his mother, Richard Cade handed his life over to alcohol. All throughout his teenage life, all he's ever done was successfully become a second year high school dropout after getting held back for three years in a row by carelessly failing all of his work, ditching classes, mouthing off to all of the teachers, sexually harassing plenty of the girls, and getting busted selling alcohol out of the trunk of a truck. Notice it wasn't labeled _his _truck either!

Johnny peeked into the cracked mirror and took in how nervous Cassidy looked. He could feel slight tears already beginning to leak in the edges out his eyes, but he quickly blinked them away before they could possibly become noticeable.

"What our old man doesn't know won't hurt him or hurt us, okay?" Johnny asked.

Cassidy pursed her lips and hesitated, already having too many _what if _questions to count spark rapidly all over her mind. _What if we somehow do get caught? What if Dad kicks us out again for doing this? What if somebody hotwires and steals the car? What if Dad whips us with his belt? What if he threatens to slaughter us like pathetic pigs?_ Nonetheless, if there was one thing in the whole world that Cassidy Cade knew for sure, it was that she could trust Johnny with anything. He was her older brother and he's been protecting her and Jocelyn ever since they first took their first breaths of life.

"Okay, Johnny." Cassidy finally replied with a small nod after she was able to discover her voice again.

"All right," Johnny Cade softly huffed. After that, he glanced over at the empty passenger's seat and snatched up a small bouquet of gold roses and white tulips. They were freshly bloomed from the cheapest flower shop that the entire universe could possibly imagine, but being known in the eyes of Tulsa as a greaser, it was better to have than nothing at all.

"Get Jocelyn unbuckled and follow me, Cassidy." Johnny instructed as he slid the silver car keys into one of his worn out, blue-jeans jackets pockets.

Cassidy's eyes took no hesitation to widen. "You mean..." She took down a small gulp to help her clear her throat. "We're going...in _there_?"

"Yep," Johnny answered, popping the 'p' sound as he unbuckled himself from the driver's seat. "Now come on. We got to do this before it gets any colder."

Without saying anything back, Cassidy quickly unbuckled herself and started to work at unbuckling Jocelyn from her car seat. The cemetery was the last place in all of Tulsa where she wanted to be, after anywhere that was labeled to be the Soc's territory, but being by Johnny's side was a heck of a lot better than waiting in the beat-up car by herself and waiting for him to return.

Richard Cade's Pinto used to be perfectly neat and dazzling white, but after all of the drunk driving its been through with nobody bothering to wash it or even dare change its tires unless it was desperately needed, the Pinto was more of a bright yellow shade with its fat wheels deflating more by the day. Brown rust was growing more and more rotten from where it surrounded the four tires, and a large dent from a rear-ending accident was where the trunk was supposed to be. Also, there were a few scratches from probably some ticked off bystanders carved into one of the backdoors, and lastly, the windows and windshield were horribly cracked.

"Johnnycake, I don't like being here. You know that I don't like cemeteries." Cassidy took down a gulp to help get rid of the lump that was trying to reform in the middle of her throat. She had the sweetly cooing Jocelyn in her arms, holding her tightly, but also very gently close to her chest.

Johnny softly sighed and placed his hand that wasn't holding the bouquet against Cassidy's soft brunette hair. Then he opened his mouth and said, "There's nothing to be afraid of, Cassidy. Just stick by me and if you want, we'll go get some ice-cream after this, all right?"

Cassidy sighed, knowing that she had no choice but to suck up her nervousness towards the cemetery, and she nodded. In her arms, she relaxingly held the cooing Jocelyn, who was wrapped up comfortably in her red and black checkered flannel and sucking on her thumb.

The iron gate that enclosed the entire cemetery was aged with rust, freezing to the touch. Gently, Johnny pushed the squeaky gate out of his way and made sure it securely shut behind him and Cassidy so the breeze wouldn't have it creepily squeaking like in one of those freaky horror movies. The eldest Cade scrunched up his nose as he wiped the rust away from where it decorated his hand; and he carelessly wiped it on his worn out jeans.

Johnny listened to the sound of the dull green grass crunching underneath his filthy tennis shoes with every step he began to take. He could've sworn he felt like his knuckles were about to bust from how tight he was clenching them. The bouquet trembled in his fragile hands, his heart noticeably beginning to pick up the speed in his chest with every step he took. Cassidy followed him, sticking by his side like glue from her wild fears screaming in her head like it was their job. She couldn't even look down at the ground; she was too afraid that she would spot a giant harry spider trying to crawl up one of her legs, or a decaying hand getting ready to shoot out and grab her ankle from one of the billions of tombstones.

The sound of the leaves rustling in the breeze mixed with the sound of an owl singing from where it was sitting on one of the branches edges. Its claws were hooked, clenching the wood of its sitting place, and its giant yellow eyes scanned the cemetery for mice to feed on as it continued to go "Hoo! Hoo!" softly.

It had been a six months since the incident happened, but every second of it still haunted the oldest Cade. Johnny never told Cassidy or anybody in their gang of greaser friends about it, but it honestly had him feeling like the worse older brother anybody could ever ask for. He could remember it all from when he first found out about it, to the absolute final second when his heart was shattered over it.

_Johnny Cade sighed, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand as he listened to the sizzling sound of the scrambled eggs cooking on the stove. A bright white flash of lightning sparked across the dark morning sky, decorating the gray clouds for just a split second. From the foggy kitchen window that was over the bright yellow and rusting sink that was overflowing with a bunch of dirty dishes, Johnny could see the dewy raindrops rapidly racing each other down the cold glass. The rain was coming down like it was a flood, dampening the grass and fading its bright green shade away. Mud puddles began to plop against the surface, covering patches of weeds and mulch the Cade's had where a garden could've been. _

_Dressed in a pair of gray pajama pants and a black oversized nightshirt that noticeably sagged on his thin body, Johnny was busy fixing breakfast by his abusive parents demand. If he didn't cook the meals, he, Cassidy, and Jocelyn weren't allowed to eat anything underneath Richard and Allison Cade's roof._

_"Christ, Allison, you know I have to work tonight!" Mr. Cade exclaimed from where he was sitting at the circular, wooden kitchen table. "You know, because SOMEBODY has to make some money around here!"_

_Mrs. Cade narrowed her dark eyes coldly and stomped one of her bare feet against the wooden floor at her husband's words. The loud BANG that erupted from beneath her had Johnny almost dropping the spatula, risking the life of one of the perfect scrambled eggs that he was still in the middle of fixing. _

_"I have to be here workin' my ass off with that new kid of ours, Richard! I can't go out and work!" Mrs. Cade strictly bellowed as he flung her arms around in a couple of aggravated motions. She was dressed in a solid white tank top that you could clearly see her red bra through, and a pair of baby blue pajama shorts slightly sagged on her milky white legs that were covered in what seemed like millions of bright purple bruises. Her dirty green robe that was stained in a bunch of alcohol splashes was around her shoulders, carelessly untied. Anytime she was wearing that robe, Johnny could've sworn he felt tears burning the corners of his eyes from the disgusting smell. That robe reeked like a diseased rat had crawled into one of its patchy pockets and was busy lifelessly decaying inside of it. _

_Mr. Cade rolled his mossy green eyes and raised his cool glass of morning whiskey to his lips. The sour twinging taste coated his tongue as soon as he slurped some of the yellowish-brownish liquid into his mouth. Almost instantly, Mr. Cade scrunched his pointed nose up and took the bitter drink down in a single gulp. The liquid somehow burned the inside of his throat on the traveling path down, but for some reason, he actually admired that feeling._

_"Yeah, well, who's fault is that?" Mr. Cade asked with a few smacks of his lips, the bitter taste still staying where it was. _

_"Aw, go to hell, Richard!" Mrs. Cade bellowed, practically spitting on her husband without any cares as she sassily shook one of her pale hands at him. From the corner of his eye, Johnny could see that her longish nails were painted this dark blue/blackish color. He could feel his heart begin to pick up the pace a little bit in his chest; sometimes he couldn't help himself to picture the object that was inside of his mom and dad's chests that were pumping their icy cold blood through their veins. With the amount of alcohol they drink, all of the cigarettes they smoke, and the God knows how many drugs they injected in themselves, Johnny was just surprised that it wasn't ashes, tar, illegal powder, and vomit that was keeping his parents alive. But whatever was pumping inside of their chests, Johnny Cade pictured their "hearts" as two dark blue/blackish smashed and shriveled up pieces of absent and empty skin. _

_"Shut the hell up, Allison!" Mr. Cade practically screamed, the ice in his glass beginning to jingle as it slowly melted in the whiskey. The scar he earned from a bar fight noticeably highlighted his bruised up face; the scratch was long, beginning from right there between his demonic eyes and leading all the way down to the bottom of his right nostril. His chapped lips were peeled back, revealing the bright yellow shade that was covering all of his teeth._

_At first, Mrs. Cade's face looked like a boiling scarlet beam from the devil's own workshop had struck her skin. Her cheeks, her forehead, her chin, every part of her face had became redder than the biggest and hottest flame of fire imaginable. She was also squeezing her knuckles so tightly to the point where they were starting to shake, but just as she opened her mouth, making it seem like she was about to cuss at the top of her lungs, she did something different._

_"I'm going..." Mrs. Cade grasped a deep breath and released it after a few short seconds. "...To go use the toilet." _

_Satisfied in himself, a smug smirk of a pathetic grin curled up on Mr. Cade's lips as he watched his wife turn away from him. He kept his eyes on her butt, chuckling darkly to himself as he watched her begin to stomp out of the kitchen._

_"Besides," Mr. Cade suddenly muttered as he rose his whiskey back up to his lips. "It isn't my fault that you're the one who forced yourself onto me."_

_Without any hesitation, Johnny's mother froze right in her tracks and spun herself back around on her heels. _

_"What did you just say?" demanded to know Mrs. Cade, flying her balled up fists to her hips. _

_Johnny shakily took in a deep breath quietly, trying to keep himself calm like he wasn't witnessing anything. Carefully, he peeled one of the scrambled eggs out of the oily skillet with the spatula and transferred it over to a big plate he had laid out previously. _

_"Nothing," Mr. Cade replied with a simple shrug after he swallowed what of his alcohol was in his mouth._

_"I'm not a dumbass, Richard! I heard what you said! I know you said something!"_

_Johnny bit down on his bottom lip and lightly nibbled at it for a couple of seconds. He could feel his hands beginning to tremble from his fear starting to win him over, rapidly overflowing his veins and flooding all throughout his body. He thought that he should've been used to it by now, considering this was just like any other morning in his house with his parents at least half sober, but it was impossible to break away from that everlasting chain of terror. _

_Mr. Cade narrowed his eyes a little at his wife, but he continued to flash that smug smirk of a grin of his as he said, "Then why the hell are you asking me what I said if you already know what I DID say?" _

_At first, all Johnny could hear was the sound of his heart beginning to pick up the pace in his chest and the sound of an echoing boom of thunder roar over the sizzling skillet. However, the rare silence came to an end as soon as Mrs. Cade grasped her husband's glass and yanked it from him in one rough pull. Then with all her might, she flung the remains of the bitter whiskey in his face, slim satisfaction beginning to prickle through the rage that was glowing in her hateful eyes. _

_Mr. Cade grasped a deep breath, gasping in shock as he puffed his cheeks out and felt the droplets of his alcohol beverage leak down his face. His red-rimmed eyes stung from the strong liquid sharply puncturing his pupils after his wife flung it at him with absolute fury. _

_CLASH! A frightened shock immediately raced up Johnny's spine, causing him to jump to the point where it was like he came inches away from bashing his head into the ceiling. Mrs. Cade had thrown the now empty glass to the floor, transforming it into what looked like hundreds of ruined, pointy, unfixable shards._

_"Well I sure as hell wasn't the one who yanked your pants off!" Mrs. Cade shouted as she watched her husband finally open his eyes back up. "I think you ought to think back to that night in the backseat of your car when that third brat of ours was conceived, because I sure as hell didn't want you to throw yourself at me!" _

_Pushing his dripping bangs out of his face, Mr. Cade instantly leaped right up from his chair and grabbed a handful of his wife's hair. Then with a rough YANK, pulling her closer to his taller and more muscular figure, Johnny's father flew his free hand back. _

_Johnny flinched again when he heard the echoing SMACK of his dad's hand colliding with his mother's already bruised up cheek. Tears began to slightly heat up in the corners of his eyes, but tried distracting himself by scooping up the rest of the eggs._

_Mrs. Cade heaved hard, her chest rising and falling harshly as she tried to hide the tears that were coiling up in the edges of her eyes._

_Mr. Cade's eyes sparked with flames of fire from the pits of hell. His grasp on a clump of Mrs. Cade's hair wouldn't decrease, but instead, grew stronger than steel. The dark look on his made it look like he was possessed. His evil eyes that were never once full of compassion were viciously narrowed in thin slits, and his chapped lips roughly yanked back, exposing his teeth that he had tightly clenching together._

_"And I think you ought to think twice before you make another mistake with me, Allison!" Mr. Cade practically spit in Mrs. Cade's face with every word he bellowed. His whiskey scented breath stung her eyes, but just as Mrs. Cade thought that things couldn't possibly get any worse this morning, Mr. Cade finally released her hair and gave her a single hard shove that almost had her tumbling over the broken glass. Luckily, she saved herself in a matter of seconds, nearly coming close enough to the shattered glass to have her feet all slit up. _

_"The only mistake I made here was agreeing to marry you!" screamed Mrs. Cade, the volume of her voice causing each of her words to sharply sting the inside of her throat._

_"Oh, to hell with you and go and use the damn toilet already!"_

_Without saying a word back, Mrs. Cade shot her husband a harsh look that said, "I will NEVER forgive you for this!" The tears that had been burning the corners of her eyes had began to slip down and slowly drip down her cheeks, but without taking her eyes off Mr. Cade, she swiped away the hot tears with her robe's sleeve. Then without waiting for another second to pass by, Mrs. Cade spun herself around and bolted out of the kitchen like she was staring in the straight face of death. _

_"Jonathan!" Mr. Cade suddenly bellowed out._

_Johnny immediately yelped and flashed his full attention over to his father. Mr. Cade was already staring at him with the same exact pounding, terrifying, possessed expression plastered on his beating red face. _

_"Stop your shaking, you spineless little bitch!" Mr. Cade ordered. "Did you finish making the eggs? All scrambled?"_

_"Y-Yeah..." Johnny couldn't help himself to stutter, but he tried with all of his might to get himself to stop trembling like his old man told him to do. He watched his hand slightly shake as he rose it and gently pinched one of the handles on the dirty stove; the burning flame instantly died out when Johnny turned the handle over towards the left, automatically turning the whole stove off. _

_"Good!" Mr. Cade then turned his eyes down to the floor, where he studied the million pieces of broken glass. With a loud groan, Mr. Cade smacked his hand straight against his forehead, right before he ran it through his wrecked hair. _

_"Jonathan! Come over here and make your unwanted ass useful some more!" Mr. Cade ordered. "Fetch the broom and dustpan and clean up this damn mess your mother made!" And with another moan of aggravation after a small pause, he harshly nudged past Johnny and stomped over to the fridge, pulling the smudged up doors that were covered in hundreds of fingerprints open. Mr. Cade scavenged through the rotten eggs and moldy meat, tossing aside the decaying cheese and chunky milk with no signs of caring. His "secret" alcohol stash was in the far back of the entire fridge. _

_Johnny sighed quietly to himself and went ahead to do as his father demanded. Gathering the broom and dustpan from where they were behind the trashcan that was overflowing with crumbled up wrapping papers and empty glass bottles in the corner of the kitchen, the eldest Cade cautiously made his way over towards the dining table. The disgusting smell of the dying food from the fridge sent a nauseous whirlpool chasing itself in the pit of Johnny's stomach, but like always, he just tried to ignore it._

_"Johnny?" _

_Quickly, the oldest Cade gazed back up from the shattered pieces of glass, and his dark puppy dog eyes immediately locked on Cassidy. She was staring back at him helplessly from where she standing there in the arch doorway that separated the kitchen from the practically destroyed living room. Her brunette hair was tied into two separate braids, hanging over the front of her shoulders, and she was dressed in a pair of torn up jeans with a maroon turtleneck sweater that was hugging her thin, maturing figure almost perfectly. In her arms, she was cradling two-month-old Jocelyn, who's innocent eyes were slightly red-rimmed after crying from the erupting outbursts of their cruel parents. _

_"Don't come in here, all right? There's shards everywhere." Johnny said as he placed the dustpan down on the counter, which was covered in plenty of sticky stains of grape jelly and puddles of ill-scented vodka. _

_"But I can help." Cassidy pointed out, the soft and helpless tone of her voice giving it away that she desperately did want to._

_Johnny sighed and slimly shook his head. "You can help by staying in the living room with Jocelyn, okay?"_

_Cassidy's helpless expression didn't fade from her face. She blinked a couple of times, taking a few quiet seconds to think about what Johnny just said to her through, but then she softly sighed and nodded her head. _

_Popping off the cap of his new bottle of whiskey, Mr. Cade didn't think twice before taking down a giant gulp of the brownish/yellowish liquid. The tart taste stained his tongue and lips all over again, but just as Mr. Cade wiped away some running drips of the sour whiskey from his stubbly chin with the back of his other hand, the phone began to ring._

_"Ugh! Who could that be?" Mr. Cade groaned with an impatient roll of his eyes. He swung himself back against the filthy counter and snatched the telephone up from its receiver. "We don't want any!" He instantly blurted that out into the phone as soon as he answered the call. Every time he was the one who answered the phone, that was always the first thing he said._

_Johnny focused carefully on gathering up all of the pointy shards of glass, sweeping them all up into a pile. Turns out, his father ended up hooking into a half sober conversation with one of his bar buddies over the telephone. The glass went CLINK against the wooden floor with every cautious sweep Johnny made with the broom, but just as he thought that he could get the dustpan ready, a startled JOLT struck him unbelievably hard when he heard the sound of his mother let out a loud, bloodcurdling shriek from the upstairs bathroom. _

_Literally having no choice but to gulp at least three times in order to clear his throat from an enormous lump, Johnny could've sworn he felt the color of his skin wash out of him. "M-MOM?"_

_Jocelyn had instantly started to whimper and cry all over again from the terrifying scream, and she squirmed and kicked her chubby legs around in Cassidy's arms. Softly, despite her fear, Cassidy tried her absolute hardest to calm Jocelyn back down, hushing her softly and holding her close to her chest as she patted her back gently._

_Mr. Cade carelessly rolled his eyes at his wife's shriek, obviously unfazed by it. "Nah, don't worry about my wife, Frank. She's just in the bathroom is all. Probably pissed about gettin' her period or something." _

_Johnny stayed frozen, clenching the wooden stick of the broom in his frail hands tightly; his eyes were as big as an owl's eyes originally were, sprawling with fear. _

_An ear-splitting BOOM erupted from the dark storm outside, and just as a white flash of lightning dashed across the gray clouds, the sound of the upstairs bathroom door flew open, squeaking hard and fast. _

_"RICHARD!" Mrs. Cade's voice suddenly wailed from the top of the staircase. She sounded furious, but at the same time, there was a hint of fear. _

_"Sure, I can meet up with you tomorrow night." Mr. Cade went on with his conversation over the phone, ignoring Allison's call for him. _

_"RICHARD!" Allison Cade screamed again, but this time was much louder._

_Mr. Cade pursed his lips, but continued to ignore her. "How does 7:00 sound?" _

_Within just a matter of seconds, the sound of raged footsteps trampled back down the carpeted stairs. Mrs. Cade had her fists tightly clenched at her sides, pinned furiously against her body when she shoved Johnny out of her way and stepped around the pile of glass. Her face was twisted in an unbelievable amount of hate as she fixed her eyes on her husband, and she bellowed out, "RICHARD, I HAVE TO TALK TO YOUR ASS RIGHT THIS MINUTE!" _

_Rolling his eyes again, Richard sighed with complete irritation and said, "Hey, Frank, I'll call you back later...yeah, my wife is gettin' on my back again...sure, talk to you later." _

_"Didn't you hear me calling you?" Allison Cade demanded to know as soon as Richard hung the phone back up._

_"The whole damn neighborhood could hear you!" Mr. Richard Cade snapped, practically spitting whiskey saliva as he spoke again. "Now what in the hell is so important that you just HAD to have me end my conversation with Frank?"_

_Johnny usually wasn't the type of person who allowed his curiousness to get the best of him. But right then and there, something told him that he just had to go upstairs and look around the bathroom. At first, the oldest Cade glanced back at the pile of glass, still holding the broom in his hands, but then he glanced back over at his parents. They had began to go back and forth whispering, the looks on their faces giving it away that they were still full of rage with each other. _

_Quietly, Johnny prompted the broom beside the counter and stepped over the pile of shattered pieces of glass with absolute caution. After that, he stepped out of the kitchen, planting his feet against the stained carpet that announced he was now in the living room. He could see Cassidy curled up in a ball on the worn out couch with the now cooing Jocelyn still relaxing in her arms. Johnny could see the sparks of confusion crackling in Cassidy's innocent eyes as she tilted her head at him like a curious puppy._

_"Just stay down here with Jocelyn, okay?" Johnny instructed before she could open her mouth and ask him anything. "Just stay down here and don't move from that couch. I'll be back down in a minute." _

_Without saying a word back, Cassidy pursed her lips and nodded. _

_Johnny could feel her eyes following him as he grasped a hold of the railing and began trotting up the stairs, but he didn't care. He was too busy thinking of many possible suggestions as to why his mother screamed like that. Did she remember something that blew her fuse about his father? Did she find something in the bathroom that she didn't like? Johnny honestly didn't have the slightest clue. He's never been THIS inquisitive about anything before in his entire sixteen years of life. Out of everybody in his gang of friends, he was the last one who would be doing what he was doing right then and there. All Johnny Cade was hoping was...this shriek wasn't over anything TOO serious._

_As soon as he reached the top of the staircase, he took in a startled breath, sharp and quick from another rumble of thunder catching him off guard. He could feel the hairs on the back of his neck beginning to stand up as he slowly approached the wide open bathroom door. With every suspenseful step he took, it felt like his heart picked up the pace a hundred times faster. Johnny just KNEW that something wasn't right. _

_Finally, the oldest Cade entered the bathroom. His bare feet froze against the chilly tile floor, which had some of its parts berried underneath stained shirts and muddy pants. A pink towel that used to be white was tattered up and covered in some strange green and yellow stains, hanging on the opposite side of the doorknob. The dark blue wallpaper that had fancy white seashells detailed into it was noticeably aging more by the minute; certain spots were ripped clear off the wall and others were covered with leaking water stains. The shower's curtain was a dark green tarp that had duct tape keeping it together, and the lavender bar of soap was covered in tiny hairs. From what Johnny could see, his eyebrow raised with confusion, the bathroom looked just like it always did. _

_Slowly, he scanned all around the small restroom, trying to spot what could've had his mother shrilling. After a couple of silent seconds, Johnny began to convince himself that maybe he was just overthinking and that whatever had his mom screaming was between her and his old man. Unfortunately, just as the oldest Cade was about to turn himself around and head back downstairs, his eyes got fixed on the sink. He saw something that was white with a bright green strip on it resting directly beside the dirty sink on the counter._

_Johnny immediately felt his heart bolt so fast that it skipped an entire generation, and then it froze for a couple of seconds before it started to beat harder than ever before in his chest. _

_"...Is that..." Johnny wouldn't take his eyes away from the mysterious object that wouldn't move from the counter. "...No...it can't be..." Slowly, Johnny seriously had to force himself to drag his feet across the tile floor, approaching the sink. His eyes were gigantic enough to the point where they looked like they were about to bulge clear out of his head. When he got close enough to the counter to notice what the mysterious object was, Johnny could've sworn that he was going to hurl all over the place. Beside the sink...was a pregnancy test. _

_Johnny drew in a deep, shaky breath, trying his hardest as could be to remain calm. But he just couldn't...he already had Cassidy and Jocelyn to protect from their abusive parents. What if he had to continue the same job with another baby sibling? _

_Goosebumps began to tingle all up and down Johnny's arms as he forced himself to close his eyes and look away from the pregnancy test. He placed one of his hands on the countertop and carefully slid it around the flat surface until he felt his fingers come in gentle contact with the pregnancy test. With no words, he took in another deep breath and held it in, his chest puffed out a bit as he picked the pregnancy test up, treating it as if it was glass, and he opened his eyes back up to look at it again._

_"...Oh no..." Johnny could've sworn he was about to pass clear out. Now he was POSITIVE that he knew why his mother had shrieked. _

_The green strip on the pregnancy test laminated out the word "PREGNANT" in noticeable black letters._

Johnny closed his puppy dog eyes and softly took in a deep breath. He could feel his fingers beginning to feel like they were going numb from him gripping the bouquet with an unbelievably protective grip, but he couldn't help it.

"Johnny?" Cassidy said as she carefully stepped over one tombstone that was flat against the ground. The name written on it had been berried underneath some of the moss and weeds, and the date of the death went back to ten years previously.

"Hm?" Johnny gave his first kid sister a quick glance, but then he went back to focusing on where he was walking.

"How come you just won't tell me where we are going?"

With a slight shrug, Johnny replied with, "Because we're almost there."

There was a tombstone that had a bunch of freshly bloomed roses resting against it, along with a new looking brown teddy bear that was holding a heart that said in tuff cursive writing, "_Forever, My Love._" A husband who lost his wife to a heart attack...

A phony silver watch was placed on top of another slightly smaller gravestone, which was glimmering under the shining rays of the pink, orange, gold, red, and slightly lavender sunset. A married couple had lost their twelve-year-old son to thyroid cancer...

That's when Cassidy began to notice something. She confusedly raised her eyebrows and forced herself to scan around at as many of the tombstones as she could while keeping up with Johnny. All of the graves were getting smaller and newer looking. The names and dates and quotes that were neatly carved into the polished rocks were as clear as day, and there wasn't any moss or weeds surrounding them. That's when some fresh patches of recently berried people began to pop up at a couple of tombstones, along with more stuffed toys and flowers and balloons and pictures; but there were more here than at any other part of the cemetery.

Johnny listened to the crunching of the leaves under his feet until he suddenly froze in his tracks and gazed down one of the straight aisles of small tombstones. Each of them were sparkling, overflowing with colorful flowers and other special items.

"This way, Cassidy." Johnny instructed, motioning her with a small jerk of his head to continue following him.

"Okay, Johnny." Cassidy said as she gently hiked Jocelyn up a little closer to her chest. After that, she continued to walk after Johnny, making sure she was standing directly by his side as they walked by plenty of small, glittering tombstones. Not a single one from what she could see was left out; there were plenty of different flowers and toys resting against each of the polished graves. But then Cassidy noticed something else...those toys weren't just any toys, but they were some blocks, teething rings, rattles...baby toys. Those tombstones were marking where _babies _were berried?

Carefully stepping over another tombstone, Cassidy could feel some tears already beginning to reach the corners of her eyes.

Suddenly, Johnny stopped walking and stared at a huge oak tree that marked the center of the entire cemetery. Cassidy didn't wait to freeze by his side, confusedly tilting her head as she slowly studied the tree from the top of its highest branch to the bottom of its above ground roots. That's when she saw something that stood out from the rest of the cemetery; there was a small tombstone that belonged to the group of deceased babies and toddlers resting underneath the giant oak tree. But it had nothing at all resting beside it. No flowers, no toys, no pictures, no awards, no nothing. Just an empty grave with only a fresh name carved in its stone. The beginning date was the exact same as the death date, and there was no quote.

Johnny straightened his lips out and gazed down at the tombstone with the hot tears beginning to flood his whole eyes. No matter how much he tried blinking them away, he could feel them beginning to slowly drip down his cheeks. The chilly breeze smacked against the wet drops, sharply freezing his skin for some time.

"...Oh my god...Johnnycake..." Cassidy felt her watery eyes go wide as soon as she noticed what name was written on the tombstone.

Johnny wanted to say something back to her. Anything. Unfortunately, all he could do was fix his eyes on her and try to hide as many of his tears as he could. The sound of the whistling breeze, rustling leaves, and Jocelyn's cooing whirled around all at once.

_Mrs. Allison Cade smacked a piece of white paper with a printed gray and black faded image on it down on the coffee table. She rubbed her round belly, cursing to herself about how much she wanted a cigarette, but for some reason, she couldn't find her pack. It was in her purse a few months back, but out of nowhere, it seemed to have just vanish into thin air._

_Mr. Richard Cade took down a slurp of vodka and shook his head at the picture. His face was beating redder than a brick as he sat there on the old sofa, holding his bottle of vodka in one hand and running his other through his messy brunette hair. _

_"This can't be happening...this sure as hell just CAN'T be happening again!" Mr. Cade proclaimed through his slightly gritting teeth. _

_Mrs. Cade rolled her eyes and gripped both of the arms of the taped up recliner as she lowered herself down into it. "Does it LOOK like it isn't the hell happening, Richard?" She then exclaimed with a deep heave from her having to catch her breath. She had small droplets of sweat blotting her forehead, and her cheeks were noticeably stained with a bright reddish/greenish shade from both lack of sleep and puking._

_"How in the hell can this be happening to us AGAIN?" Mr. Cade demanded to know, his eyes darkly narrowed from anger. "It's bad enough that we have those three brats living underneath our roof! How could we possibly be having ANOTHER ONE? We were using protection, weren't we?"_

_Mrs. Cade rolled her eyes again. "Gee, Richard, I'm not sure I can recall if we did or not use protection four months ago...I think I'm pretty occupied with other damn thoughts right now!" She pointed two of her fingers at her round stomach and groaned at how ill she felt due to morning sickness attacking her. When she first took the pregnancy test, she turned out to be five weeks into the pregnancy; now she was four months. Her stomach wasn't THAT big, but in her head, it was too big for her to handle. And she loathed it to death._

_"Aw, shut the hell up, Allison!" Mr. Cade bellowed. He raised his glass bottle back up to his lips and took down about four more gulps of his vodka. "If we keep this up," he went on as he wiped his sour lips with the back of his other hand. "The damn hospital is going to decide to keep a room private for just us!" _

_Allison dabbed her face with her dark red maternity shirt's sleeve. Over the chest, it said in yellow bubble letters: "I GOT A BUN IN THE OVEN," and then there was a wiggling yellow arrow that led and pointed down at her belly._

_"So what do you want to do, Richard? We can't just rewind time and prevent THIS from happening!" Mrs. Cade pointed at her stomach again. "I THINK we are about four months late from considering anything!"_

_Mr. Cade rolled his cold eyes again. "You think I don't know that, woman?"_

_"Well apparently not!" Mrs. Allison Cade answered, obviously not in the mood with her adjusted mood swings just plowing all over the place. _

_Ignoring how his wife responded, Mr. Richard Cade said, "Come on, we just CAN'T go through this again! We already have THREE worthless kids! We don't need another little bitch around this house that's going nowhere in life!" _

_"We are FOUR MONTHS IN, Richard! Like I said, we are A LITTLE late to consider anything!" exclaimed Mrs. Cade, her voice raising a little more with each word she said._

_Mr. Cade glanced down at his lap and twirled his rotting Band-Aid around a loose thread that hung from his baggy, brown, and stained T-shirt. Silence filled the household, the only sounds that could actually be heard being the noisy barks of a next door neighbor's dog and a rotating sprinkler that was busy wetting a recently mowed lawn. The quietness kept expanding as Mr. Cade then narrowed his eyes, but this time wasn't because he was angry or anything like that. _

_Mrs. Cade puckered her ruby red lipstick covered lips out and fiddled around with her fingernails. The new coating of blackish/bluish nail polish was starting to chip away. Then there was a slight ill tingle coming from the pit of her stomach. Immediately, Mrs. Cade's heartless eyes shot huge, and she flung her pale hand over her mouth with a giant groan of both aggravation and misery. With one gulp, she gagged down the mucus that tried racing up her throat. A pale green shade overran her face, the disturbing taste remaining on her tongue._

_"Richard, what are you thinking?" Allison finally decided to shatter the silence, having enough of trying to wait for her husband to say something else._

_"You really want to know what I'm thinking?" Mr. Cade cocked one of his eyebrows and stared back at his wife. If someone used their imagine, they would be able to see how Mr. Cade's mossy green eyes were like two cruel, cold, deep black holes that were forever going to swarm with negativity. _

_Mrs. Cade rolled her eyes. "If I didn't want to know, do you think I'd be wasting my damn breath asking you in the first place?" _

_"Don't use that damn attitude of yours on me now of all times, Allison!" Mr. Cade ordered, noticeably snarling his words and crinkling his nose like a wild wolf who was craving its prey. After that, Mr. Cade hauled himself up from the couch and took down one more slurp of his vodka; a much deeper and longer slurp. When he swallowed it in one huge gulp and coughed roughly as a result, he plopped what was left of his drink down on the coffee table and started making his way towards the front door. _

_"Where in the hell do you think you're going?" Mrs. Cade commanded to know, strictly narrowing her eyes._

_Richard snatched his leather jacket, which smelt heavily like cigarette butts, from where it was hanging on the coat rack beside the main door. "WE are going to go out and handle this, you hear me?" Mr. Cade sent his wife a cold scowl as he slipped on his coat; then he fetched his keys from where they were resting in a bowl on the other side of the door. _

_Keeping her eyes narrowed, Allison asked, "Where are we going?"_

_"When will you knock it off with all of these questions?" Mr. Cade groaned with pure impatience. "I'll tell you when we're in the car! Now come on! Move your ass!"_

_Mrs. Cade's lips peeled back angrily, but all she did was send her husband a fierce glare as she muttered many of unbelievable cuss words and insults under her breath. Gripping both of the arms of the recliner again, Allison Cade pushed as hard as she could without sending her tumbling over to the floor. She could feel her legs slightly beginning to quiver underneath her, but she wouldn't stop using as much of her energy as she could to force herself back onto her own two feet. Finally, when she was able to get herself to stand up, Mrs. Cade took no hesitation to grasp a deep breath and softly pant. _

_"Gee," Mrs. Cade scoffed, her cheeks practically on fire. "Thanks for the help, Richard!" _

_Mr. Cade rolled his eyes, resting his back against the now open front door as he used one of his silver keys to clean some dirt out from underneath his fingernails. _

_"My damn pleasure, Allison!" growled Mr. Cade. _

_Nearly waddling with every step, Mrs. Cade went on cursing under her breath as she approached the front door and carelessly nudged her husband out of her way as she exited the house. Without waiting, Mr. Cade clenched his teeth together and furiously began to join in with mumbling plenty of cuss words to himself; but without another word with each other, Mr. Cade stomped out of the house after his wife, shutting the door behind him with a gigantic SLAM, announcing to the whole house that they had left._

_From the upstairs hallway, Johnny Cade shyly peeked around the corner and down the staircase. He had overheard everything, pinning a basket that was full of dirty laundry against one of his hips. Biting down on his bottom lip a little, the oldest Cade couldn't help himself to wonder. Where did his parents head off to? Usually whenever they went out together, it was to a bar to drink, a club to go insane, or anywhere that held a good poker game. But something just told Johnny that wasn't todays case. _

_Slowly, Johnny began his way down the stairs, trying his hardest to be as quiet as possible since he just got Jocelyn down for a nap and Cassidy was trying to study for an upcoming test in peace. Confusedly, the eldest Cade tilted his head as soon as he made it all the way to the bottom of the staircase, and he noticed the white sheet of paper that his mother had slapped down onto the coffee table. _

_After placing the basket of dirty clothes down on the floor and against the wall, Johnny went ahead and approached the coffee table. The whiteness of the piece of paper began to reveal its mixed black and gray shades with every second Johnny got closer. Then as soon as he made it over to the coffee table, Johnny gently pinched the sides of the piece of paper and lifted it up for him to see. It was an ultrasound of a small baby boy that was curled up in the fetal position. _

_Small sparks of happiness began to flicker in Johnny's eyes like fireflies. Gently, he placed one of his fingers against the pictures and dragged it around the baby's head. Then he went on slowly outlining its back, a shy grin tugging at the edges of his lips as he reached the baby's small feet. _

_"I'll protect you..." Johnny softly whispered to the ultrasound. "I promise." _

Johnny looked at Cassidy in silence, still feeling the hot tears continue to flow down his cheeks and cause his vision to go from blurry to clear.

"I would've made it all different if I had the chance...believe me, I would've."

Cassidy stared back at her brother in shock. Her tearful eyes were wide, the drops of water lighting up from the rays of the sunset glowing against her.

"Why didn't you tell me..." Cassidy had to softly grasp a deep breath to keep her from vanishing in a flood of salty tears. "That we had a baby brother?"

"If you're thinking you had a right to know...you're right, you did..." Johnny sighed, and then hesitated before he slightly shrugged his shoulders. "But I just didn't want you to feel as broken as I was when I found out...and I'm still just as shattered now as I was six months ago."

Cassidy paused for a moment to think each of his words through. Digesting them carefully, she knew that there was no way that she could deny any of it.

"Does the gang...you know...do they know about this?" Cassidy asked as she gently hiked Jocelyn up closer to her again, rocking her.

Johnny's pout expanded and he shamefully shook his head. "Cass...it hurts somebody when something horrible strikes them...but it's too unbearable to deal with when it hurts many more people...especially the ones you deeply care about."

Not knowing what she could possibly say back, Cassidy only stared as a few more tears escaped from her eyes.

Johnny sighed and gently used his thumb to brush away his first kid sister's warm tears. "I'm so sorry you had to find out about it this way, Cass." Johnny gave her one of his helpless puppy dog looks, his dark eyes pooling up with plead for forgiveness. He literally had to make himself take his hand back and turn away from his kid sisters, focusing back down at the glittering tombstone that read _BABY BOY CADE_.

Carefully, Johnny lowered himself down until he was sitting on his knees. He could feel the dampness of the mud and dewdrops leaking through his worn out jeans, but he refused to shift himself.

_Johnny Cade crinkled his nose in disgust as he poured out another bottle of beer into the sink. The sick scent of all of his father's alcohol was powerfully dancing throughout the kitchen and burning his nostrils, even making his innocent eyes water a bit. Now that his mother was four months into the pregnancy with what he just found out earlier that day was his first and hopefully last baby brother, Johnny was caught up in doing what he always did when his mom got pregnant. Pour the alcohol out, throw away all of the drugs, and give away every cancer stick pack. Ever since Mrs. Cade was pregnant with Cassidy, Johnny has always been there to somehow protect her and then Jocelyn when their mom was carrying them. ALWAYS._

_"How can they even drink this stuff?" Johnny mumbled to himself as he watched the snot colored liquid flow out of its container and wash away down the drain. Sure, his good pal Two-Bit Mathews drank a couple of beers now and then, as well as Dallas Winston, but neither of them have drank so much to the point where they were going ahead and blasting other people for their own kicks. _

_Suddenly, just as Johnny squeezed the now empty can and dented it in his hand, he overheard the sound of his father's Pinto pull back up into the driveway. Anybody could hear that hacking engine and name it from miles away!_

_Johnny's eyes instantly became the size of two tennis balls. "Shoot!" He quickly grabbed the handles and twisted them, stopping the running water from splashing out of the faucet any longer. After that, the eldest Cade didn't think twice before gathering up all of the empty cans and glass bottles he had already handled and jammed them each into the trashcan with the speed of lightning. He just COULDN'T have his parents finding out that he was the reason their alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs had been disappearing! _

_Just as Johnny began to debate whether he should sprint into the living room and up the stairs, he froze in his tracks against the kitchen wall when he heard the front door squeakily fly open. Like always, it slammed into the wall with a gigantic BANG, which had Johnny flinching a little, but he stayed as quiet as any human possibly could, as stiff as a statue. _

_"Now there!" Mr. Cade said as soon as he entered the house with Mrs. Cade following in behind him. He was dancing a Kools cigarette back and forth from one side of his mouth to the other._

_Mrs. Cade turned her attention down to her watch and groaned. "Richard, it's late!"_

_"Late?" Mr. Cade's eyes took no hesitation to shoot huge. "I just spent all of these hours with you and we solved our problem thanks to my brilliant idea and all you got to say that IT'S LATE? It's only 7:30, dumbass!" _

_"Oh, I'm the dumbass?" Mrs. Allison Cade challenged, viciously narrowing her eyes. "Says the GENIUS who had us dip into an unbelievable chunk of our savings!" _

_Mr. Cade scoffed. "You just don't want to admit that I actually had a good idea!" _

_There was a moment of hesitation as Mrs. Cade pursed her lips and glanced down at her nails, fiddling around with them a bit._

_"All right..." she said after about eight seconds. "...At least you're right about our problem being solved...it might've cost us a hell of a lot in our savings and plenty of paperwork, but at least it is over." _

_Satisfaction started to sparkle in Mr. Cade's eyes, and a smug smirk curled up on his lips. "I thought so...and speakin' of paperwork, doesn't that damn doctor want you to complete that one copy so it can be placed into your file?" _

_"I completed a good portion of it for tonight," Mrs. Cade softly moaned and jammed her hand into her black purse, scavenging around inside of it a bit before she pulled out a folded up piece of paper. "I'll finish the rest of it in the morning. As for right now, I need a cigarette to celebrate and one hell of a nap." Without any cares, she flung the piece of paper down onto the coffee table, where it landed on top of and covered the ultrasound. _

_"You celebrate however the hell you want to. I'm goin' to go out and have a couple of drinks at the bar. Maybe I'll run into Frank."_

_Mrs. Cade rolled her cold eyes at her husband's words. "Don't let your ass stay out all night! I ain't in the mood to wake up tomorrow morning and find you puking what's left of your brains out into the toilet!" _

_"Well, don't allow your damn ass to wait up!" Mr. Cade snarled back. His cheeks had instantly struck deep red. "I will come back to this hell hole whenever the hell I want!" Then without giving his wife a chance to say anything back, Mr. Richard Cade yanked the front door back open and stomped out of the house, slamming it behind him loudly and violently. Johnny flinched again at the sound, listening to the beats of his heart go insane as he tried his hardest to picture why his parents were gone for so long. And it involved plenty of money? Stacks of paperwork? Doctors?...They were at the hospital?_

_With an irritated scoff, Mrs. Cade started to curse to herself, but all she did after that was clench her fists at her sides to the point where her fingers looked like they were about to snap clear off. Then without any warning, she went ahead stomping up the staircase. _

_As soon as Johnny heard another BANG come from upstairs, announcing that his mother had made it into her bedroom, he didn't wait before poking his head around the arch doorway and taking a gander into the living room. A new piece of paper was lying there on the coffee table. Just having this feeling in his gut speaking to him about something not being right, Johnny quickly made his way into the living room and trotted back over to the coffee table. Then without waiting for anymore seconds to fly by him, he snatched the piece of paper up and began to read it._

_Immediately, the eldest Cade could've sworn he heard an ear-splitting CLASH. His heart had been thrown a million miles away, and as soon as it struck the dead ground, it shattered into billions of pieces. His entire face felt like it became a sick green shade, numb to the touch, and his fingers began to twitch as his arms and legs began to quiver. Johnny could've sworn he felt goosebumps rise all over his entire body, the hairs pricking up on the back of his neck. His jaw felt as if it struck the floor, his lips wobbling in pain as his vision began to go from blurry to clear. Hot tears began to drench his eyelids, the soft sobs raking hard inside of his chest. The misery was too painful to describe. It hurt unbelievably bad...and it was enough to have Johnny's legs giving out, sending him falling down straight on his knees as his eyes clamped shut. _

_Three words on the paper was all he needed to shut down and sob: ABORTION and TUBAL LIGATION._

Johnny could feel his hands still trembling a bit as he rose the bouquet of tulips and roses up to his face. Softly, he took in a small width of their sweet smell, and then he allowed some of his tears to leak on their bright colors. As if he was handling glass, Johnny placed the bouquet down on top of the tombstone, just above BABY BOY CADE.

Cassidy bit down on her frowning bottom lip and went ahead sniffling. It was a cemetery, she thought...it was always full of tears.

"You shouldn't be dead..." Johnny began to speak with absolute softness in his head. "You should still be here...in my arms right now, so I can love and protect you...like I love and protect Cassidy and Jocelyn..." The tears felt like they were only growing hotter against his beating red cheeks. The breeze smacking at the wet streaks only made it worse, stinging and pinching. "...I'm so sorry...I promised you that I would protect you...and I failed...but as hard as it is to accept that you aren't here physically...that doesn't mean you aren't here in my heart..." Johnny quickly wiped away most of his tears, but the more he cleaned away from his face, new ones only replaced them. "...You are still here...and not just in my heart, but in Cassidy and Jocelyn's hearts, too...you are our baby brother who didn't deserve what happened to you...but it isn't your fault...not one bit..." Johnny shook his head, as if he was speaking every word out loud. "...No baby deserves to be killed...and I hate knowing that not only am I the older brother of two tuff little sisters...but now I'm the older brother of an aborted baby brother..." Johnny could feel his heart racing like a wild horse in his chest. "...Dead or alive though...you are still our baby brother...you are still a part of our family...and nothing will ever change that...baby brother, I love you so much...I love you just as much as I love Cassidy and Jocelyn...and believe me, they love you with all of their hearts, too..." Johnny gently touched the tombstone and traced his fingers around the carved in letters that spelled out BABY BOY CADE. "I can't help the nightmares...of our mother sittin' there in the waiting room with our old man...and a nurse comes in askin' how far along she is...before you get your defenseless life taken away from you...but please know that you are free from this place...from this dreary and evil world...you are free and happy and healthy and loved and treated properly elsewhere...I miss you...and rest in peace, Baby Boy Cade."

"Johnny..." Cassidy gently grabbed onto one of Johnny's shoulders and squeezed it lightly, sniffling some. "Are you okay?"

Johnny, still shedding some tears, turned his attention away from his baby brother's tombstone and stared back up at his kid sisters. The colors of the sunset lit up the background behind them and began to cast their dark shadows against the grass. Sniffling, Johnny rubbed one of his eyes with his balled up fist; but then, he quickly leaped back up from the dull grass and threw his arms around Cassidy and Jocelyn.

"Oh, Cassidy..." Johnny shyly planted a small and quick kiss against her forehead, right before he peeked at Jocelyn and noticed that she was beginning to fall asleep. "I love you so much...I love you and Jocelyn more than myself." Gently, he dragged his fingertips through Jocelyn's silky curls, and then gave her chubby cheek a quick and careful pinch.

With tears still glimmering down her cheeks, a small grin tugged at the edges of Cassidy's mouth, and she said, "Johnnycake...we love you, too...so much more than you can believe. If you weren't here to protect us, Jocelyn and I probably wouldn't be around today...and no words can describe how thankful we are to have you in our lives."

Immediately, Johnny had a shy smile flashing across his face. The breeze continued to sing, puffing the rustling leaves around and sending the chilliness through both Cassidy and Johnny's hair. The oldest Cade grasped a deep breath of the fresh air and held it in for a couple of seconds. The feeling he had when traveling to the graveyard that was previously resting on his chest was no longer there. That strong, rough, steel and stone feeling had finished. Now, Johnny Cade, for once in God knows how long, felt free.

"How about we go get that ice-cream now?" Johnny asked, still showing that shy grin of his.

Cassidy wiped away the rest of her tears with her red striped sweater, and she happily nodded. Now she wasn't afraid of looking down at the grass; she knew now that life might've been hard for her, Jocelyn, and Johnny, but for as long as she and Jocelyn have been around, Johnny has always been there for them. And he's never going to stop..so there wasn't anything to really be afraid of. The world was a dark and scary place, yes. But when you have great friends and at least one caring family member, there's nothing to be terrified of.

After hiking all the way back to the Pinto and having Cassidy buckle Jocelyn back up into her car seat, Johnny turned himself back around and took one final glimpse at the cemetery. The sunset was fading into the darkness, but the beautiful colors still gleamed and treated the tombstones each like gems. And now Johnny Cade could see those images in his head; the one wonderful picture of his baby brother living gleefully somewhere else. And the other of Baby Boy Cade's tombstone sparkling underneath the sunlight, and then the sunset, until the moon and starlight took their turn. Finally, Johnny thought about the bouquet tulips and roses. Now whenever anybody walked past Baby Boy Cade's gravestone, they would see that even after six months, he was clearly never forgotten. And he was never going to be.

Johnny flashed another half sad, but also half relieved with happiness grin. One final tear leaked out from his eye and dripped down his cheek.

"Stay gold, little brother...stay gold."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Phew! I hope you all liked it! :) I worked on it four days in a row for all of you!**

**I SUPPORT ADOPTION, NOT ABORTION!**

_**ADOPTION- YOU'RE GIVING AN INNOCENT LIFE A CHANCE TO LIVE.**_

_**ABORTION- YOU'RE TAKING AWAY AN INNOCENT LIFE.**_

**Also, in case you're wondering what a TUBAL LIGATION is, it's an operation when a female gets her tubes tied so she can't have kids. **

**Now, I hope you all enjoyed this one-shot! :) Please review! :D :) I would really appreciate it! Thanks everybody! :D :D :D :D :) :) :) :)**


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